What do peer support workers do? A job description.

Area of Science:

• Psychiatric care
• Healthcare systems
• Peer support services

Background:

• Poorly defined job roles impede peer support worker success and team integration.
• This study clarifies the specific work performed by peer support workers.
• Data originates from a participatory evaluation of a psychiatric tertiary care peer support program.

Purpose of the Study:

• To specify the diverse roles and tasks undertaken by peer support workers.
• To inform the development of clear job descriptions and expectations for peer support roles.
• To enhance the understanding of skills needed for successful peer support work.

Main Methods:

• Utilized interviews, focus groups, and activity logs for data collection.
• Employed a modified grounded theory approach for data analysis.
• Focused on a participatory evaluation of a peer support program in psychiatric tertiary care.

Main Results:

• Identified direct work (e.g., advocacy, resource connection, experiential sharing) and indirect work (e.g., administration, team communication, training).
• Highlighted peer roles in relationship building with clients and staff, and legitimizing the peer position.
• Defined key enactments of peer work philosophy: experience, approach, presence, role modeling, collaboration, challenge, and compromise.

Conclusions:

• Effective peer support roles necessitate skills beyond lived experience with mental health or addiction.
• The detailed job description aids understanding of the peer support worker position and required competencies.
• This work contributes to setting appropriate expectations for successful peer support role fulfillment.